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I’ve been natural for over 5 years…this time! 14 years ago I went natural and it was basically because 1) I was saving money for my upcoming wedding 2) I got tired of spending an entire Saturday in the hair salon 3) I wanted to try something new! Back then the products available were sparse and not many salons in my area of Nashville knew how to deal with natural hair unless you were coming in for a blow-out.

Fast forward to today and the options are endless. It’s so nice that I can just go into my favorite beauty supply store or even mass chain store and pick up products for my hair. Along the way there have been several hits and misses when it comes to products, but I was happy when I discovered Jamaican Mango & Lime Pure Naturals.

Jamaican Mango & Lime Pure Naturals ​ is the line of moderately ­priced hair care products that deliver a “360 degree Moisture Miracle” of intense, lasting moisture to every, single strand of hair because its Moisture Miracle 360 °™ Blend ​ of Pure & Natural butters, oils, natural extracts & vitamins that penetrates & surrounds every dry, thirsty, overworked strand and locks in 360 degrees of intense, long-lasting moisture. It’s nice when can find a line that carries everything you need to help your hair maintain moisture (which helps with length retention) as well as products for endless styling options.

Last month I had the pleasure of hanging out with talented Maria of The Maria Antoinette! Maria and I first “met” when she and LaQuisha of Corner Curl Girl over 3 years ago when they had a 30-day natural hair challenge. That’s the first of 2 challenges I’ve actually completed in the last few years by the way…LOL! I’ve had the chance to witness Maria’s business and following grow tremendously over the years and so happy to be able to call her a friend. Not only is she the bomb with hair and makeup, she is genuinely a nice person as well. Nothing worse than someone being pretty on the outside with a heart of stone!

You all know that I’m not for long hair, but what I’ve been wanting since I got my taper cut was for the top to have more length. Shrinkage is the debil and it didn’t help that my last 2 cuts totally jacked up the length on top. -_- I showed Maria a picture on instagram and we just knew we had to recreate that look. I’ve never had a sew-in before so this was all new territory for me. [Read more…]

Typically I’m not big on hair typing, but in certain cases it definitely helps to know more about your hair. Knowing your hair type will help you better understand what kind of styling techniques, hair color, and hair care will work the best for your locks. Check out these guides from Madison Reed for expert tips to make the most of each: [Read more…]